My Name is Serelicia
by JaysonFour
Summary: Everyone's always said Serelicia Starsarai rode her brother's robetails to a spot in the Koada'Dal. But when he goes missing, she decides to prove something to all her detractors and to herself: that she has the skills to vanquish the evil and free him.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note- I don't own Everquest, Sony does. Though some days I wish I did.

My Name is Serelicia

Chapter 1: Night of Omens

The rain poured down on Felwithe in barrelfuls. One would think Prexus the Oceanlord was trying to give the town a bath, or maybe he was just plain irritated at Tunare for something that the Mother of All had done.

It made for an evening where one would be content to stay inside, out of the rain, and do something else, like study, read, or go out with friends for a night of drinking and carousing.

Of course, if you were like Serelicia Starsarai, you simply went to bed that much earlier after checking up on your equipment. After all, she was planning an outing into the greater portion of the Faydark forest to search out the last materials needed for the last piece of armor she needed before she would be permitted to venture farther from her home and guild base.

Right now, she was dreaming. Dreams of battle against the Koada'Dal's enemies, where she was like an armored tornado, slicing and hacking them down by the group, then kneeling in the middle of the bloodstained earth and muck to offer a prayer of thanks to Tunare for delivering her from the dangers of the battle.

As the beam of light came from the heavens to form a circle with a knocking noise in front of her, it started fading out. The harder she tried to remain asleep, the faster the dream world dissolved, until it was nothing more than a pool of inky blackness that only abated when she opened her eyes.

Someone was hammering on the door. That much was obvious. It was also waaaaay past time that any normal visitor would show up, and that usually meant one thing- trouble.

"All right, all right, I'm coming… show some respect to a member of the Koada'Dal, why don't you…" she shouted out while wrapping herself in a silk robe. She tied the belt on and walked toward the door, picking up the wooden club that she used to chase away thieves, door-to-door salespeople, and heart-struck young men after her hand in marriage.

Walking to the door, she could hear the knocking grow more insistent, more demanding, until she reached the doorknob and listened outside.

Someone had been knocking on the door with both hands, it sounded like, and they weren't about to stop any time soon. She wished her brother would come back- it was his responsibility- when he was home- to answer the door at night. Usually, he'd conjure up one of those strange eye-things and send it outside through a side window to see who it was, and if the attention was unwanted, a very weak flame spell to get them to leave.

But Jeylec had been off chasing through the dungeons of Norrath for two weeks now. He was scheduled to get home in the morning, though, and Serelicia couldn't wait. When her brother was around, she felt invincible, especially when he found the time to take her to different locales to practice her fighting against different opponents.

Of course, he also filled her head with the wisdom gained from his own travels, from the ins and outs of how a guild worked to where one could get the best meal in Rivervale. She especially enjoyed it when they both went exploring.

The pounding on the door brought her back to reality. She placed one hand on the doorknob and raised the makeshift cudgel with the other, preparing to crack it over the head of the intruder-

"Hey hey hey hey, Sere, put the stick down! Please, I haven't stopped running since my feet hit the ground near the portal in the Faydark outside of town!"

As she opened the door, she recognized the golden glint of the armor, and swerved the strike to smack harmlessly on the doorway.

"…Jaclycia, what are you doing here? By Tunare, it's past midnight- here, come in, get dried off… oh, Mother of All, you're bleeding! What happened?"

After the armor was peeled off, Jaclycia Kamne laid out on a daybed while Serelicia lit lamps and got a better look at the wound.

"…it's fairly shallow- just struck a lot of blood vessels and made it bleed pretty badly. Here. Let me take care of it."

Uttering a prayer and focusing her mana, Serelicia uttered a prayer to Tunare to mend her friend's body. A warm light shone, and the damage healed before her eyes, soothing away any pain and tissue damage.

"Now, what's so important that you had to wake me up in the middle of the night for?" Sere demanded of the young woman in front of her.

Jaclycia was a half-elf, hailing from the slums of Freeport. She made her way through the world telling stories and playing music, and repelling the occasional monster when it got too close- just because she was a bard didn't mean she couldn't fight. Her black hair was tied up in a ponytail, worn short. Green eyes that were full of worry looked up at Sere, and pert lips with slightly running red lipstick quivered with anxiety.

"…I have some terrible news, Sere. About Jeylec."

Serelicia's heart jumped into her throat. Jeylec in trouble? No, that wasn't possible. After all, he always traveled with his friends, knew when to push and when to drop it, and very well knew the honor in running from an encounter if you were too overmatched.

"…what's going on, Jaclycia? Where's Jeylec?"

The pretty bard lowered her head and kept speaking.

"…we were exploring the lower level of Castle Mistmoore before we came here. Jeylec said he wanted to find that shield that was blessed with the vampire's blood so you could take it to your superiors so we could find out who the guy in charge of the place was- and that's where it all started…" She started spilling the story, and it popped up, unbidden, in her mind:

* * *

"Okay, how's everyone holding up? Are we going to be able to make the push? I think the skeleton with the shield is in the next room…"

A series of groans sounded from the party of adventures as they rolled their eyes and prepared themselves for another pitched battle.

"You realize he's been saying that for the last five rooms, correct?" Jaclycia turned to the lithe thief and smiled.

"Kae, when have you even known Jeylec to be right about something other than magical spells and where to find good fish cakes? Besides, I see you staring at that pair of daggers we found on that zombie. You just want to go back to Freeport and divide up the loot so you can go gut some hapless airheaded orc with them to see what they can do."

Kaelicia D'rai was a rogue- not just a thief, she always said. Being a dark elf, though, had its advantages. Like being able to hide a lot more easily in shadows. That and the fact if she looked crosseyed at some person who caught her in the act and threatening to sacrifice their soul to Innoruuk if they told anyone was good, too. Her red eyes also startled those who didn't know the truth about her- the fact that she detested those of her race who worshipped the Plaguebringer, and sacrificed others to him. She gave her religious attentions to Bristlebane Fizzlethorpe, god of thieves. This allowed her to relax a little bit, and actually have some fun, usually at the expense of the party's magician.

"Ladies, let us cut the chatter and prepare for what might lurk behind the door. I pray to the Duke of Below, but I'm not too keen on meeting old Brell with a tankard of beer and a sword in my back." Danager the dwarf cleric was tall- for his race. His brown hair was stuffed into a helm one size too big, his beard hanging down over his armor.

"I don't want to have to waste good mana because you weren't looking out for yourselves. Now, stand back and let the man do his work."

They all stood back as Jeylec concentrated and created a strange-looking being, covered in eyes.

"Now, Jeylec, don't get any ideas and send one of those into my inn room when I'm changing. If you want to see me sky-clad, you'll have to make a deal with me on that…" the thief joked. Jeylec went bright red and Kaelicia laughed even harder until Jaclycia lightly smacked her on the back of the head.

"…I don't see any boo- anyBODY in the room, just a strange portal of light that's issuing forth some kind of mist. Might be some kind of portal to somewhere, but until I get up close and personal with it, there's not much more I'd be able to tell you. Doesn't look like there are any creatures in the room- hmmm… you get your fingers warmed up, Kae?"

"Why? What did you have in mind for later? There's a lot of things a girl can do just using her fingers to-" FWAP! Jaclycia's hand came around again and caught the thief across the back of the head as Jeylec stuttered again.

"Come on, there's three chests in there. I was just wondering because I wanted to know what was in there, not because-"

"…just get out of the way, Jey, and let me do what I do best. Danager, you're behind me. Jey, you're third in. Jackie, if you would play a little working music for me, I might get started."

As the dark elven thief walked past, she gave a secret wink to Jeylec, who went red as Lord Nagafen's scales. Jackie rolled her eyes as she went right past him, but then got an evil grin on her face.

"…bards have more nimble fingers, my dear Starsarai. Meet me back at the inn later and I might be in the mood to show you."

Kae's laughter could be heard echoing up and down the corridors full of busted-up skeletons and roasted zombies as Jeylec almost exploded from the amount of embarrassment. Danager shook his head. The old dwarf was past that age, but he could remember when he had been exactly the same.

"…whoever owns the place must have been keeping this stuff in storage for a few years. I mean, there's a few gems here, and a good chunk of small change, but for the traps on those chests, you'd think he had a Wurmslayer or something in there. Jey, are you almost done with the portal?"

"Uhhh… just about. It's some kind of gate, all right, but otherwise I can't tell much about it. Except… do you think it should be pouring mist into the room like this?"

Kae turned and did a passable imitation of a high elf as the color drained out of her face.

"…you touched it? By Bristlebane, I can't see my hand in front of my face… what did you do to it, try to hit it with a Cinder Bolt?" She cursed her luck and blinked, concentrating. Slowly, she brought up her infravision and watched as four, no, five blobs of color showed up.

"Be careful, we aren't alone!" she shouted. That caused everything to go into chaos.

Jeylec turned and locked onto one, and she recognized the chanting- Cinder Bolt. She'd heard it many times before, and the targets he aimed at always ended up a nice golden brown after being blasted by it.

Jackie turned to the other one and started hacking away at it, but her sword didn't feel like it was going through anything. It was as if the creatures were made of mist, or something- she didn't know what-

"HA!" She recognized Jeylec's voice as he let loose the Cinder Bolt, cracking one of the creatures with the power. It fell to the ground and struggled back to its feet, and Kae got a good look at it. It stood as high as she did, but other than white, flowing manes of hair and a body encased in armor with dark designs, she couldn't tell- wait a second, she stopped herself. Those were dark elves- but she'd never seen anything like them before.

One uttered something in a language she didn't understand, and both turned and lunged for Jeylec. They grabbed hold of both his arms, and he screamed.

"…my- my arms! I can't feel them, they're so cold… hey- HELP ME!" he screamed as the two started dragging him forward, torwards the gate of mist.

Kae dashed up behind one as struck at it, cursing the Lord of Decay as her blows did no good. Jaclycia whipped out her blade and tried the other one, but when that didn't work, she played all of the songs she knew. None worked.

Danager threw all the holy smiting spells he knew of, but none of them landed, either. As the two creatures had him halfway through the portal, Jey struggled and grabbed hold of the rim.

"Guys, forget about me! Get out of here and tell the others! PLEASE! Don't worry yourselves- Jackie, look after- NOOOO!"

With one final pull from the two figures on the other side of the gate, Jeylec Starsarai vanished from Castle Mistmoore, and the portal slammed shut with a quiet popping noise.

* * *

The images faded from Jackie's mind as she finished.

"Kae looked like she was going to freak out. When we got back to Freeport, she ordered all the bottles of Neriak Nectar she could at the Seafarer's Roost and requested no one bother her unless it was me. Danager was busy making holy signs with his hands and trying to commune with his god to figure out why he wasn't able to smite those figures. He went back to Kaladim to get some answers. Me… I went to Marsheart's and explained everything to any bard in attendance, with the added pleading that I wanted any information I could get. Then I came here."

Sere looked at her friend, hands shaking. By Tunare, this wasn't happening. She turned and ran to her bedroom, eyes full of tears as she struggled into her armor. Aving attached everything as best she could, she shouldered her pack and ran back out to meet her friend's incredulous stare.

"…I'm going to find him."

Jackie's eyes went wide as a beholder's. "No, I'm not going to let you. Jey wants me to take care of you, and I'm not going to let you go out there and throw your life away for him."

Whirling around, Sere pulled her friend close and glared into her eyes.

"…you expect me to leave my brother in the clutches of those… THINGS? After all he did for me? What are you going to say next, that I rode his robe-tails into the Koada'Dal- that I only got in because he's getting pretty famous and Master Tynkale didn't want animosity between his faction and the Ruby Palace? You're just like everyone else, Jackie. Why don't you go back to Free-"

"Hey, Sere… I didn't mean it like that. First, we're going to get some rest. In the morning, as soon as the sun rises, we're going to be hammering on guild doors. I want to talk to your guildmaster and Jeylec's. Then, we demand an audience before the High Council. Something is very wrong here."

Sere almost dropped her backpack at the news.

"…you mean…?"

Jackie threw her a wink.

"Jey told me to look out for you. He never said where, how, and when. After we get the elven nobles in an uproar, THEN we leave and start chasing rumors. I want a crack at whoever it was that decided to snatch your brother. Maybe I'll play a funeral song for them as they expire."

Sere's eyes grew moist again, and she soon had her friend in a hug.

"Okay, go get some sleep. I'll wake you when it's time to go, okay? I'm a light sleeper, so don't worry about it."

Sere wiped her eyes with a gloved hand and walked back to her room.

"You can use the other bed, if you want… Jey wouldn't mind."


	2. Chapter 2 Petty Bickerings

_**My Name is Serelicia**_

Chapter 2- Petty Bickering

(Author's Note: So, what do you think so far? If you take the time to read through my story, please take just a bit longer and leave me a review. Reviews make me happy, and I always write a heck of a lot faster when I know there are people out there who would love to see more of my stuff. Not to mention more people will read my stuff if you leave them. Anyways, the usual- EQ is owned by Sony. I don't own them, but some days, I wish I did.)

* * *

The storm broke around an hour before dawn. Sere watched the clouds break, and then the sun rising. The second it peeked over the horizon, she was out of bed. She slipped into her robe, and placed her feet into some slippers that she had bought off a traveling merchant. 

Padding out into the main sitting room, she almost jumped out of her skin when she found the fire going and someone preparing food.

"…you didn't sleep a wink either, did you?" Jackie's voice came from the kitchen as she stuck her head out. Sere collapsed into a chair as her friend brought two steaming mugs of tea out.

"Today's the day, Sere. Do you have a plan of action on who you want to talk to first?"

Sere accepted the mug and started thinking. The tea did wonders for her foggy mind, and she started to plot out the day.

"First off, I want to head to the Ruby Palace and talk to Jey's guildmaster, Niola Impholder. She's a good woman- we're on amiable terms. She even taught me a few tricks to keeping track of my spells. After that, I'm planning on stopping by the Felwithe Defenders and seeking the wisdom of General Jyleel. He doesn't care much for Jey- thinks he's too into the fame and laziness of being powerful to even give lip service to the Mother of All. But I think I can trust him to do the right thing."

Jackie sipped her tea and put her feet up.

"There's a rivalry between the arcane council and the Defenders?" she asked.

Sere snorted and sipped her tea before continuing.

"Of course there is. Some of the older Defenders are accusing the arcane casters of worshipping their power more than they worship Tunare. Some of the older arcane casters accuse the Defenders of forsaking their magic-rich history for the sword and physical power."

Jackie nodded and looked into the fire.

"…and what do you think?"

Sere finished her tea and set the cup aside.

"…that both sides should just sit down and shut up, and figure out a way to use their aggression on the Crushbone orcs and the dark elves of Neriak. Of course, Jey always said both sides should bury the battleaxe and go out for wine and fishcakes, but…"

Sere stretched and stood up.

"…I just hope that I can at least get an inquiry opened into his disappearance."

Jackie also stood up and walked back into the room where she had apparently stayed awake the last of the night.

"We'd better get ready. It's time for you to finally step out of your brother's shadow, Sere. I'm going to stick around for a few days, but I'm going to have to get back to Marsheart's in Freeport to see if any other news has come in. Not to mention…" She trailed off and let her eyes get distant.

"…I'm going to have to pay off Kae's bar tab if Elisi doesn't cover it- not to mention…" Jackie quickly shook her head and came back to herself as she closed the door and started getting into her gear.

Sere listened to her friend as she walked into the spare bedroom, and then walked to her room.

Changing into her armor seemed… easier than it had ever before. As if she finally had a purpose other than going out and slaying the occasional orc pawn.

As she slipped the leather skirt on, she let her thoughts slip back to just before Jey had left on this adventure…

* * *

"Don't worry, little sister. I'll only be gone two weeks, and then the two of us can go adventuring together. I'm thinking of a travel plan along the lines of all the major cities- start off by going to Kelethin and stocking up on supplies before we spend a few days driving the Crushbones back and generally driving his majesty Emperor Crush into a fit the size he hasn't had since I was there last and left D'Vinn's scorched head sitting on his throne. After that, Kaladim. The dwarf cleric I'm a good friend with said he'd buy me a drink if I ever came by, and you should have plenty of belts and shoulderpads to redeem for cash and armor, not to mention the fame it'll bring you from the dwarves. They may like people who can drink as much as they do, but they love a warrior capable of devastating the orcs even more." 

Sere cleaned her armor as she listened to her brother plot out their adventure. She couldn't wait for the two weeks to be up.

"After that, we'll take the boat over to Freeport and see if we can't find Jackie and Kae. We might be able to take a few days in the commonlands, but we'll have to steer clear of Neriak. Kae might like you for a friend, but the other dark elves would like you to be dancing on the end of a spear. Then we'll take the mountains to Highpass and check in on them- I have an official missive for him that I have to deliver, anyways, so we'll take two days there."

Sere let a small grin onto her face. "We're only taking two days because you want to go blow up monsters in the pass and poke around about that rumor about Lady McCabe and the queen of the dark elves."

"Ah, dear sister, you see my motives. Anyways, after that, we'll head out over to Qeynos through the Karanas. Maybe a week there."

Sere rolled her eyes. Her brother seemed to spend an awful lot of time in Qeynos, and she finally thought she had the reason why.

"You know, if you're sweet on Antonia Bayle, just get in line with the other men who want to win her hand."

Jey let his face get bright red and he kept on speaking as if nothing had happened.

"After we get done in Qeynos, we'll wander through the Plane of Knowledge to get to Rivervale. Trust me, if we save some money, I want to find some Misty Thicket Picnics. That halfling said you feel smarter just possessing one. After a week there, we'll hit the Plane again and go back to Qeynos, but we'll just fill on provisions and head to Surefall Glade. It's a city of rangers and nature, and I'm pretty sure they'll welcome us, being high elves. Long as you don't kill the wildlife or something."

Jey wrapped up a pouch containing pieces of malachite and other jewels he could either use or trade, and deposited it in his pack.

"After three days there, we'll head to Blackburrow and blaze through there on our way to the Everfrost Peaks and Halas. The meat pies there are to die for, but they're very, very heavy as well. We can do some other stuff there, too. When it's time to leave, we'll hop to the Plane again and go to Erudin. I have some spells Niola wants me to grab copies of from the library there, and maybe you can find some other stuff there, too. Not to mention I've always wanted to study at their arcane school."

Finally donning his equipment, Jey slipped into his robe as he kept on going.

"After a week there, we're going to go up- to Luclin. The Bazaar is finally done remodeling, and I want to get rid of some of the junk in storage- old armor, a few jewels, those old parchments I found, maybe realize some cash and then go hit Shar Vahl and look around there. They have some monsters in the moors there that would be a good challenge for you. Then, it's on to Firiona Vie- the outpost could always use some help battling back the monsters around there, and it'd be a good chance to prove yourself."

He donned his helmet and rechecked his spellbook, scribing some spells into it.

"After that… I'm thinking Velious. We go through the Great Divide and blow up a giant or three; hopefully we can drop one with his head more or less intact. We'll need a few to get into Thurgadin. Giving someone a giant head is high praise there, and just having one is a good way to get the dwarves on your good side. Then, we go back to Knowledge and head for Ak'Anon."

Jey got a little quiet there, and Sere handed him his wristbands and gloves.

"…and then what, brother?"

Jey donned the wristbands and looked at his sister.

"…by that time, I believe you will be strong enough to strike out on your own. You have to realize I'm not always going to be around to protect and help you, Serelicia. I know you have the strength deep down inside to be one of the greatest Defenders of history, maybe even overshadowing Alissa Felwithe herself. I'm going on a long journey of my own after we get home. A group of us are going to the Wakening Lands in Velious to see if Tunare will grant us passage to the Plane of Growth. I might not ever come back to Norrath if I can gain an audience with our Mother. So I want to know that the Starsarai legacy will be in good hands."

* * *

Sere came back to herself having unconsciously donned the rest of her equipment. She stowed her helmet in her pack and went to the living room and waited until Jackie came out, decked out in her golden chainmail and other equipment.

"Come on. It's a bit of a walk to the Ruby Palace, so we should get started."

The two friends set out, walking in the bright Felwithe sunshine. It was still early morning, so some of the shops weren't even open yet. But from the amount of people on the streets, Sere could feel the energy running through the city as they walked through the passage that divided the city into two areas- the southern, where the arcane students had their academies, and the northern area, where the holy temples of Tunare held over everything.

They walked past a few young elves in green robes- magic students, most likely, on their way to gather bat wings for Niola. Sere smiled as she recalled her brother asking his teacher if she planned to open a store selling nothing but Batwing Crunchies. He came out of that with a scorched robe and a smoking reminder to never criticize teaching methods.

The front door was open, and the guard there nodded as they passed. Coming upon a trio of glowing floor tiles, Sere stepped on the center one without hesitation.

Instantly, she and Jackie were teleported to the Ruby Palace, home to Felwithe's magician training. They entered and proceeded up to the second floor, where Sere quietly knocked on a door and moved back to the side as a gust of wind opened it.

"Enter, please." The two women came in and found an older elven woman hunched over a book, trying to make sense of arcane symbols. Leaning back and rubbing her eyes, Niola Impholder peered over at Sere and Jackie.

"…you aren't magician students… hold on, you're Serelicia Starsarai, aren't you? It's nice to see you again, little one. Have you any word on when your brother will be home?"

At that sentence, Sere almost collapsed.

"…my brother's missing, Miss Niola. My friend here was with him when he was taken, and we think it's something the council should know about."

It took two hours to explain everything to Niola's satisfaction, with Sere and Jackie both filling in as much as they knew.

"…and that's the whole of it. We don't have any leads on where he is or what took him. The mist-forms looked like dark elves, but with white mist making up your body, you can't tell the difference between a high elf or a wood elf or a Tier'dal. We've tried every locater spell ever devised and only have a load of missing gold to show for it. Nobody knows anything."

Niola sat back and conjured up three bottles of water, two of which she pushed over to Sere and Jackie.

"…your story has mirrored something I have heard from magical schools the world over. Freeport, Qeynos, Ak'Anon, even Neriak. The dark elves are secretive, but my sources tell me the leaders of the schools there are warning their pupils to stay close to Neriak. Very well. I'm going to call a meeting of the arcane council this afternoon. If all goes well, we'll meet before the royal council this evening." She reached up and massaged her eyes with long fingers and sighed.

"I'd hoped this epidemic of disappearance would not reach our fair school, but contrary to what Tarker Blazetoss thinks, the whole of Norrath is more important than ignoring a piece of news because nothing like that ever happens here. Are you going to go to the Defenders next?"

Sere nodded. "The general may be an old codger, but he knows a lot. I'll try and convince him as much as possible, but no promises. You may have to have someone hit him over the head to get the point through."

Niola smiled at that, and began to gather her materials.

"Very well, I'll take that under advisement. Now, you two should be off- I have to call the council, and you have to get some sense through Jyleel's stubborn skull."

Niola snapped her fingers, and Jackie and Sere quickly found themselves in front of the headquarters of the Defenders of Felwithe. Taking a few deep breaths, Sere walked right in and around the back, taking the stairs down to meet with the legendary general.

* * *

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Jyleel thundered, his voice echoing through the building.

"I will NOT let a simpleminded raw recruit go traipsing around the world simply because her brother is out trying to increase the half-elf population single-handedly."

Sere almost lost her cool, but a steadying hand from Jackie on her arm helped her to keep her cool while General Jyleel walked about his room ranting and raving about how it was so foolish of a young high elf to go chasing after her brother simply because he was out having a good time, most likely, and had dreamed up that escape portal bit to jaunt away with all of the gold and platinum that his group had collected.

Finally, Sere could not stand it any longer. Anger rose in her throat, and her heart burned with rage.

"-and furthermore, if you take one step outside the Faydark, I will personally see to it that-"

"SHUT UP, you old lunatic! I don't care if you are my superior, I don't care if Tunare came down and spoke in your ear. NO ONE speaks ill of my brother when I know he's not on this plane any more. He's not out there trying to do what you might have done at his age; he's out there trying to help as many young elves as possible to get at the Crushbones without getting them killed. I've already asked druids, wizards, rangers, other magicians, enchanters, everything short of necromancers to find him, and they all tell me the same blasted thing. He's not anywhere on this plane. He's not on Knowledge. He's not on any known plane, or even on Norrath. As far as Jeylec is concerned, so what if he has a little fun? But that's besides the point- you have to acknowledge that there is a problem! There's going to be a royal council meeting this evening, and I don't care if you ARE my superior, by Tunare, I'm going after him."

Jyleel looked taken aback. In all his years of training young ones, he'd never had one rear up like a basilisk and try to take his head off.

"…how DARE you speak to me like that, you arrogant little snot! You are not fit to go outside the Faydark, moreover, you are not fit to even wear the armor or wield our Mother's powers! As far as I am concerned, you are no longer Koada'Vie- you are an outcast if I have anything to say about it!"

Sere's mouth dropped open. _'Oh, Mother of All, what have I done? I've forsaken you for my own selfish desires. Please, send me a sign so I know what to do…' _

She sent her prayer winging off and watched as the general continued blustering. Finally, she was aware of a soft light filling one corner of the room, and a figure in shining armor appear. The figure wore a sword like none Sere had ever seen, but at once she could feel the holiness radiating from it.

"Radithon Jyleel, stop your madness. Our Mother is most displeased with your treatment of one of Her finest warriors."

The general whirled around and wanted to start jamming it down the throat of the newcomer, but when the newcomer pulled off her helmet, he nearly had an attack.

When he saw the figure's face, he was looking at the face that graced many statues around Felwithe- one who rightfully did so.

"By the Mother… A… Alissa Felwithe…" he stuttered.

Alissa brushed her hair back and glared at the general with shining hazel eyes.

"Our Mother is watching over this one, general. She has great potential, just like her brother. All that remains is for her to refine her talents and she will become a warrior that elves and the world will remember for centuries to come. Now, if an old warrior whose best days are behind him doesn't think so, then maybe you should take that up with Tunare herself. Now, apologize to this young lady and be quick about it."

Jyleel dropped to his knees before the fabled warrior of Tunare.

"…I apologize, my lady. Had I known what the Mother of All had in mind, I would have no qualms about her leaving to find her brother."

"…then get up, General. You have grown in mind and spirit, and that is the best way to honor our Mother."

Leaving Jyleel alone with his thoughts, Alissa turned to Sere and Jackie.

"Brave Koada'Vie, our Mother wishes you luck in your search. I send word that she does not know of Jeylec's whereabouts, but she does not have the ability to help you. This is something you must do on your own. But she does send a gift."

Alissa held her hand out to Sere, who saw a small brooch on it- carved wood resembling an acorn.

"As long as you possess this holy item, you will be known as a friend of those who support and worship our Mother. She will send word to the followers of her allies, and you will be welcomed under their banners as well."

Sere took the brooch and tucked it inside her armor, face pale.

"I understand. Thanks be to you and our Mother, Madame Alissa."

The figure laughed.

"Please, cut the regality. I am Alissa to those who would consider me friend. I am afraid that this is all the time I have on this- I will talk to Tunare and try to send you advice every once in a while if you get lost or injured. Please, child. Be careful. For all we know, the Koada'Dal may be in grave danger."

With a gentle smile, Alissa faded from view, back to her place in the Plane of Growth.

"…by the gods, I never knew… my dear, I have a council I must get ready for. Please excuse all my ravings before as the utterings of an old warrior blunted by time and entropy. I suggest you go get ready to leave, Serelicia. Praise be to the Mother."

"Praise be to the Mother," Sere answered, eyes still wide.

"The council's in session right now. Both the Arcane and the Divine are trying to convince the royalty that there really is a growing crisis, so there's not much we can do…" Jackie said as they walked towards the front gate of the beautiful elven city.

"…then how about you help me fulfill this last request so I can leave the Faydark. I just need to find myself some giant bats and harvest some fur. If you help me with that, then there's nothing they can do to keep me here."

Sere pulled her sword from her scabbard and looked at the keen edge. Jackie giggled and pulled her own.

"I haven't met a giant bat who I wouldn't like to run through. Come on, let's get going. I can help you out with my songs and my blade. I need the practice, anyways."

Laughing, the two friends went off into the Greater Faydark forest to hunt down the elusive giant bat while the council hunted for their own elusive prey- a solution to help find out the problem.


End file.
